Post by Vixen on May 28, 2019 23:59:34 GMT -6

Admittedly, Vixen was out of her element.

Vixen had arrived in her designated training space with a wavering, ghostly, fox-like creature walking abreast of her, pale and entirely without noise. Never had she worked with an ethereal creature; indeed, never had she even been truly close to one before coaxing the specter to accompany her after meeting her at the Mansion. Theirs had been a strange bonding moment, reliant on song and soft words to lure the strange being from the shadows. Though she could not see it now in broad daylight, all too clearly she recalled the way Sy had glowed softly in the dim light, emanating a gentle white-blue light. She had been beautiful, in a strange, spectacular way, faded between this world in the next, pale pink-purple eyes that matched a seemingly mutated, grotesque tongue that would loll out should she part her jaws. Now, Vixen felt compelled to work with her, and though she enjoyed her quiet company, she was still somewhat at a loss for how their training was to commence.

((Sy 3.1 | Loyalty 3))

"You," he said, "are a very real thing in a terribly false world, and that, I believe, is why you are in so much pain."

Post by Vixen on Jun 3, 2019 1:37:22 GMT -6

When scrambling for research and recommendations on how one was to reinforce an ethereal creature, Vixen had received a suggestion that was either nonsense or genius, though she wasn't sure which. Given that she had arrived with no backup plan, and the two shared no empathetic connection yet, Vixen could only pray that it would work. After a quick reach into her bag, Vixen came back with what appeared to be, and was by her use until today, a simple toy- a laser pointer. Ethereal creatures drew energy in from around them, or so it was told, and theoretically, a laser could just... beam a little snack directly into them, or something like that. It sounded asinine, but what was a girl to do but try? Before they got any further into training, Vixen would have to at least test the theory. She looked over at Sy, who was quietly sniffing the air, or appeared to be- perhaps detecting the many creatures Vixen had brought here before, or the scent trails of beasts accompanying other trainers, away from their personal grassy area. Seizing her distraction, Vixen called to her. "Sy!"

The Specter's large furred ears rotated, followed by her head, pallid eyes finding Vixen's face. "Yes! Good!" she chirped, flashing the pointer directly into Sy's chest. The foxy creature perked up and seemed markedly more attentive, staring brightly at the laser toy in Vixen's hand. "Really? Wow, okay. I'll be damned. A laser pointer."

((Sy 3.2 // Loyalty 3))

"You," he said, "are a very real thing in a terribly false world, and that, I believe, is why you are in so much pain."

Post by Vixen on Jun 5, 2019 1:05:15 GMT -6

Having confirmed that the (frankly, outwardly ludicrous) theory worked, they were now free to focus on the actual task at hand. A rumor had been coursing through the Labs that a "petite tournament" would be in the near future, and the idea had intrigued Vixen. She had never bothered to combat train any of her smaller pets- no, she'd sooner focus on the Gallor, her Sarane, Wiurn, other fantastical creatures and large monsters... but why not a small pet? There were many situations in which "pocket power" would come in handy; after all, it wasn't as if there was room for large animals at all times, right? An ethereal creature would be something of a curve ball in such a circumstance, and besides, something about Sy was just so... intriguing. Sure, Vixen couldn't deny that she took more comfort and had better understanding in pets she could touch and cuddle, but... Well, there was something about Sy. The creature had such a strange look of understanding and this odd feeling of dignity and other-worldliness to her, and though maybe it was silly, Vixen felt, well, understood by the creature in an abstract way. Though she was never one to shy away from a challenge, she had been focusing on more "doable" tasks as of late, but Sy- she made her want to put in the effort. Unbidden, she thought of Ashe's sweet Inyala, the little familiar- could that be Sy to her some day? Oh, it's too early to be thinking about that. You barely know each other right now. She locked eyes with her ghostly counterpart, wavering gently between this plane and the next, full of her own mystery and complexity. She, as always, seemed reserved, calm, and unphased. Hell. Maybe we do.

((Sy 3.3 // Loyalty 3))

"You," he said, "are a very real thing in a terribly false world, and that, I believe, is why you are in so much pain."

Post by Vixen on Jun 5, 2019 1:13:26 GMT -6

Vixen shook her head a bit- no time for hypotheticals; they were burning daylight. "Right. So let's start working on something, pretty thing. We'll start with..." Sy's furred, ghostly ears were flipped in Vixen's direction, not understanding her words, but hearing the intent in her tone and inspiring curiosity. Her owner trailed off, brainstorming. Sure, she'd found some motivation to reward the specter with; even still, she was slightly daunted by the idea of training her more precise or complex commands. "Ah.. Let's start with something easier for us to communicate. We'll just... Ok." Vixen knew what they would start with; a howl. She had inspired Vulticus to howl in the past with her reasonable impressive rendition of her own, and perhaps she could convince Sy to follow suit in a similar way. As her usual tradition, Vixen intended to inspire the behavior first, capture it, and put a command word to it one it became a consistent offering. Now all that was left was for her to prompt it. Though she was training, Vixen couldn't help but feel a little silly when it came to things like this, and she glanced around briefly to confirm no one was around watching her. Clearing her throat, she cupped her hands over her mouth, lifted her head, and after a deep breath, howled deeply into her palms. It came out a little shaky initially, as it always did at her first attempt, but smoothed out readily. The sound echoed in the open area, sounding not too far off from the actual howl of a canid, but Sy did not offer an immediate response, and instead stared intently at Vixen, head cocked slightly, ears swiveling at the noise.

((Sy 3.4 // Loyalty 3Howl 1))

"You," he said, "are a very real thing in a terribly false world, and that, I believe, is why you are in so much pain."

Post by Vixen on Jun 5, 2019 1:26:14 GMT -6

Vixen was watching her charge over the partial blockade her hands provided, noticing the focused gaze, and was not immediately discouraged by the lack of response. That was perfectly okay; it usually took a few howls to inspire another to pick it up! At least she had the interest and engagement of her student, and that was the post crucial part of training, in her experience. As long as she had a willing pupil, everything else became easier and possible. A disinterested student, well... As her howl ended, she thought back to Terra, the fantastically powerful, enormous mangrove crossbreed, one that was impressive in every way, yet had no interest in their training, forcing Vixen to mostly utilize compulsion- something not enjoyable for Terra to learn by, nor enjoyable for Vixen to have to employ. Luckily, as of now, it seemed she would need no such tricks with her ghostly confidante, only time and a little beam of light. Sy had walked closer to her in her pausing, staring up at Vixen with illuminated eyes. The sound stirred something familiar in her, but the fact that it was a human (or, close enough) making the call was, well, confusing. Was she to answer it? Vixen drew a breath and brought her hands back to her face, making another long, mournful sound, letting this one die down sooner than the first so that she might restart it for a third attempt. At this, Sy let out a low whine, encouraging Vixen, as she had heard many a canine make a similar noise before building into joining the howl themselves. Undeterred and unwilling to stop this round of howling without a success, Vixen took another deep breath and howled loudly in the open area, letting the full capacity of her voice come with it, sounding from the depths of her chest. At last, Sy tilted her own head up and joined with her, a haunting howl loosing from her slender snout.

((Sy 4 // Loyalty 4Howl 2))

"You," he said, "are a very real thing in a terribly false world, and that, I believe, is why you are in so much pain."

Post by Vixen on Oct 26, 2019 0:02:10 GMT -6

Excited, Vixen broke her own howl off to give an immediate and chipper "Yes!" and trained the laser beam on Sy, prompting a surprised but happy shift in expression in the ghostly canine. She stopped howling as the red light hit her, her ears swiveling forward and her facial features somehow softer. Her transparent flame of a tail flickered, leaving her owner wondering if it was akin to a tail wag, or simply part of her spectral movement. "Good girl." After waiting a beat, Vixen cupped her hands and howled again, and this time she only needed to howl twice before Sy, already primed from her earlier call, tilted her ears back and joined in for a second chorus. Just as she had before, Vixen offered immediate praise. "Yes, good Sy!" She shined the laser towards Sy's chest once again, earning her another attentive, excited look. This was still a difficult concept for her to grasp, this energy-beam nonsense; poor Vixen was rooted very firmly in the physical world that she could make sense of. Ethereal training had proved to be a bit of a mindwarp so far. "Okay Sy, now again." Clearing her throat, Vixen opened up with another howling session, prompting Sy to join in almost immediately.

Post by Vixen on Oct 26, 2019 0:16:48 GMT -6

This time, Vixen dropped her voice, but did not immediately interrupt Sy, instead choosing to let her carry out the howl for a longer duration on her own first. Vixen had learned the hard way before about interrupting a new behavior too quickly for too long, resulting in a pet performing a behavior for half of a second and stopping for treats. Since Sy had not figured out this brief hack, and swept up in the calling as she was, she did not stop with Vixen, and instead carried the cry out on her own. Satisfied, Vixen pinged her with the laser, praising her warmly. "Goood Sy, you're such a smart girl, aren't you?" True success came only with consistency, and before another moment had passed, the two were repeating another repetition. It went much as the previous one had gone, with Vixen starting the howl, and Sy picking it up just a heartbeat later. Once again when Vixen discontinued the cry, Sy continued to call, the sound rising from deep in her lungs and escaping her with a mournful ring. It made the hairs on Vixen's arms stand up if she were being truthful- she found the sound as beautiful as she did haunting. Of course, that was the motivation for training this behavior at all. Eventually in the situation of any sort of skirmish, the howl would perhaps have an off-putting effect on their opponent. "Good Sy." As Vixen gave her another treat, her thoughts turned to the idea of battle with Sy. Would it be less stressful to her, knowing that she couldn't take physical damage? All fun and games until someone uses elements... Yikes. That was something Vixen didn't care to think about. How was it possible to even treat an ethereal pet?

Post by Vixen on Oct 26, 2019 0:56:45 GMT -6

The concept of being unable to physically tend to her pet was an incredibly stressful one. Her veterinary skills were pretty decent, but what was the course of action for ethereal injury? In fact, did ethereal injury work even remotely similar to a physical one? Did she just shine concentrated light on her? Was she self-healing? This subject would require further research. Leave it to me to find a way to stress. Focus- training. Training now, worry about imaginary future injuries later. Shaking her head slightly, Vixen cleared the negative thoughts away, and instead focused on the next stage of training- putting a verbal command to it.

"Caoin." Vixen spoke loudly and clearly, waited a moment, and followed it up with a howl of her own. When Sy took up the cry, Vixen flashed the laser on her. "Good caoin, Sy." She emphasized the command to Sy again, trying to attach the new word to the action. She would now preface every call with the word, and gradually wean away her own howls as a prompt, hopefully leaving her with a clear verbal command. Sy was edging closer to where she was sitting now, blank eyes directed towards the laser pointer, her body language intent. "Ready to go again?"

Post by Vixen on Oct 26, 2019 1:21:42 GMT -6

"Caoin." She drew the word out, staring steadily at Sy, whose head was slightly tilted as Vixen spoke. She was eager for another "snack" and sensed there were more to come, but was overall unsure of how to earn another, or what her owner's words had to do with it. She knew her name, and she knew when she did a good job, but out side of that, Sy didn't quite speak "Vixen" yet. When the howl began, however, Sy perked up. That was something she knew the proper response for, and without hesitation she began to howl herself, nose pointed skyward, utterly unmindful as Vixen's own voice dropped out. Howling was satisfying on a visceral level to Sy, and once one rolled out, it was like the tide, flowing and ebbing in its own time, at a natural pace. As the wavering notes died down, she was greeted with more deliberate praise and treat. "Good caoin, Sy," Vixen chirped, beaming the little energy snack to the specter. The glowing pattern on her sides flashed a little brighter as she absorbed the laser, and soon the ghost's hazy eyes were searching Vixen's face, seeking a prompt to earn another reward.

((Sy 4.4 // Loyalty 4

Howl 6))

"You," he said, "are a very real thing in a terribly false world, and that, I believe, is why you are in so much pain."

Post by Vixen on Nov 5, 2019 0:59:24 GMT -6

Vixen wiggled a bit, visibly pleased with the specter's attentiveness. Clearly she was... well, was "hungry" the right word to use here? How did hunger work in this situation- surely she pulled energy from her surroundings at all time? Vixen shook her head, banishing that rabbit hole of contemplation. She didn't have time to try to self-discover the biology of an ethereal being- too headache-inducing! Instead, she looked at Sy and loudly spoke, "Caoin!" Sy's eyes lit, and she tilted her muzzle slightly, making Vixen perk up expectantly. There was a pause, and the silvery muzzle dropped back down again. She felt she was supposed to howl, but she wasn't quite sure why... Confirming her instincts, Vixen started a howl for her, encouraging her to follow through immediately. After the mournful ring dropped down, Vixen clicked the laser. "Good caoin, Sy! Good job," she crooned. "You're almost there sweet girl."

((Sy 5 // Loyalty 5

Howl 7))

"You," he said, "are a very real thing in a terribly false world, and that, I believe, is why you are in so much pain."

Post by Vixen on Nov 5, 2019 1:11:57 GMT -6

Vixen and Sy studied each other for a moment- Sy awaiting a cue and treat, and Vixen appreciating Sy's unique, if ghastly, appearance. Her tall, heavily-furred ears, slim muzzle, and thick, ever-lolling tongue made for a creepily beautiful look. Her intent and pale eyes would be off-putting to most, but to Vixen they were somehow soothing in their consistency. Would she as a familiar be so bad? Could Vixen have her with her always, as Ashe had Inyala? She felt she could... "Ok pretty girl, you know this... ready? Caoin." The ghostly canine tilted her muzzle up and paused briefly. When Vixen did not offer her a clue, Sy twitched and finally opened up with a strong, clear note. Her howl was low in pitch but confident in its volume, and when her voice met a lovely lift and gentle fade, Vixen grinned widely. "Yes Sy, good caoin!" She gave her multiple treats in rapid succession. "What a good girl. You didn't even need a clue."

((Sy 5.1 // Loyalty 5

Howl 8))

"You," he said, "are a very real thing in a terribly false world, and that, I believe, is why you are in so much pain."

Post by Vixen on Nov 5, 2019 1:38:09 GMT -6

It was all downhill from here! They had arrived at the proofing stage of their training. Vixen sat back situated her backpack in front of her, giving Sy a moment to get distracted and less "howl-y" before asking her to decipher the command again. Despite Sy's focused stare, Vixen deliberately did not look at her, and instead chose to fish out her note pad, taking the time to jot down some training notes about Sy and their interaction with one another. She was in the habit of making notes about engagement, how many repetitions were needed for new commands, likes, dislikes, and occasionally some doodles of the creature. Eventually, Vixen looked up from her pencil scribbles and caught Sy calmly surveying the park, her large tail flickering transparently, ears dropped flat to her sides in her casual observation. Content she'd caught her distracted, Vixen cleared her throat and announced, "Caoin." Sy's ears flipped up and her head swiveled around to face Vixen, and after a beat she belted a howl towards the sky. "Yes, good Sy!" Vixen offered her a treat, then immediately looked away, returning to her pencil and paper. This time, Sy looked away sooner, connecting Vixen's staring and scribbling with being dismissed. Seeing this in her peripheral, Vixen called out again. "Caoin." Vixen was delighted in this time, Sy instantly howled loudly and with purpose.

((Sy 5.2 // Loyalty 5

Howl 9))

"You," he said, "are a very real thing in a terribly false world, and that, I believe, is why you are in so much pain."

Post by Vixen on Nov 5, 2019 1:56:10 GMT -6

"Yes! What a good girl." Vixen lit Sy up with rapid-fire pressing of the laser, treating her three times in quick bursts. Watching Sy gleefully absorb the beams, Vixen was struck with a wave of frustration that she couldn't physically touch and praise Sy. She had an overwhelming urge to pet the specter and scratch her neck in affectionate praise, but couldn't. That would, maybe pettily and maybe not, be a legitimate reason for Vixen to not go through with committing to the specter as a familiar- not being able to touch her and communicate her love physically would drive her to distraction. Idly she wondered if she could commission the labs to make one of their fantastical items- maybe making gloves that breach the ethereal plane was possible! Maybe she'd be able to at least pet her specter then... or maybe no such thing was possible. Sighing, Vixen committed to proofing Sy further."Caoin." Immediately Sy howled, breaking her focus from whatever she'd been paying attention to. Delighted, Vixen pressed the laser and crooned praise to Sy. Quick learner... She's a bit smarter than, say, a Vulticus... That would be a perk. Vixen watched closely, waiting for Sy's distraction. Of course, I'd probably splurge and get an intelligence charm for any familar... I mean if they're a familiar, you'd want them to be as smart as possible, right?...

((Sy 5.3 // Loyalty 5

Howl 10))

"You," he said, "are a very real thing in a terribly false world, and that, I believe, is why you are in so much pain."

Post by Vixen on Nov 5, 2019 2:36:58 GMT -6

Catching her specter off guard, Vixen issued the command once more. "Caoin." Sy flicked a glance her way as she began to howl, swinging her head around as she did so. Vixen flashed the laser towards her immediately to mark the correct behavior. "You got it now, don't you?" She issued the command again, and was met with yet another howl. Content, Vixen decided to test her again, but this time with a longer break. She sat back and reabsorbed herself in her notepad, allowing herself more time to take detailed notes about Sy. Higher intelligence than avg creature standard, req few reps, baseline engagement at 8/10, focus boosted by burst rewards... She drifted towards the corner of the page, immersing herself in a sketch of Sy. As she finished a frenzied, bold outline of the specter, she took a break to check on her muse- yes! Curled up, and dare she say... sleeping? Did she still sleep? It appeared so... "Caoin!" She hadn't meant to shout it, and had startled herself as efficiently as she had caused Sy to jolt to attention. The specter barely had her feet under her before she was howling to the full range of her voice, unmindful of Vixen actively beaming the laser towards her in favor of finishing out the cry. Vixen was thrilled, imbued with a newfound confidence in having evidently successfully trained something to an ethereal creature. Maybe she could even train a bite...

((Sy 5.4 // Loyalty 5

Howl 11 [Done]))

"You," he said, "are a very real thing in a terribly false world, and that, I believe, is why you are in so much pain."

Shoutbox

Morgan: No one knows yet. But I did want to make it clear that the jar itself isn't used for lotine husbandry in any way. c:Jun 5, 2020 4:24:19 GMT -6*

Twilight-Claw: I'm only assuming that it does something similar like a Fungal Beast that infects a Leaf-scatter. (the one with moss and I think it was a pink flower growing on the head.)Jun 5, 2020 4:18:34 GMT -6

Morgan: The lolatic doesn't disappear after one use, and can be reused on the same lotine when it is allowed to 'infect' a lotine- to my knowledge.Jun 5, 2020 1:41:37 GMT -6

Morgan: The only effect/thing that the jar can be used for is to open up into a lolatic. The jar itself has no use in lotine breedings.Jun 5, 2020 1:39:52 GMT -6

Twilight-Claw: and the jar is then gone, if with the creature I am more guessing with this the creature doesn't disappear and it has unlimited use.Jun 5, 2020 0:17:55 GMT -6

Twilight-Claw: Something else I am wondering about with the Lotine breeding is whether one would use the jar the Lolatic comes from in the breeding, or actually the creature itself. I'm assuming with it if its the jar, then it gives people only one shot in a breeding, Jun 5, 2020 0:16:08 GMT -6

Twilight-Claw: Then using it in my rps is definitely just for the sake of rp's and not for anything additional. Jun 5, 2020 0:12:17 GMT -6

Renathan: There's no additional effect for adding a fish to a magical berry in a lotine breeding. Magical Berry is kinda it's own thing. Adding a fish for roleplay value shouldn't hurt, but it has no effect when used on a magical berry lotine breeding.Jun 4, 2020 22:27:14 GMT -6

Twilight-Claw: be just for the sake of rp, and perhaps seeing if it might lent a bigger chance to multiple offspring with unique pattern. X3Jun 4, 2020 15:31:01 GMT -6

Twilight-Claw: I think your right on it being unlimited use yeah, although.. *cough* I only found out a couple hours after I started writing that I had yet to buy the fish in question so used the one you could get for free as a replacement, it still was meant to mostly Jun 4, 2020 15:30:59 GMT -6

Riku: From what I loosely understand about the fish is that it isn't one-use, whereas the berry is. I feel like there wouldn't be any consequence of 'using' the fish...which I'd think just ooc wouldn't be counted for whatever rolls or whatever it is that it usesJun 3, 2020 14:14:30 GMT -6

Twilight-Claw: Thanks for that piece of info Ren! <3 | But would it be allowed for the flavor of the rp if the berry wasn't filling enough for the Lotine? Jun 1, 2020 6:09:21 GMT -6*

Renathan: There is no need to double up on a fish and a magical berry (doesn't change the effect of the berry at all) in a lotine breeding.Jun 1, 2020 6:02:21 GMT -6

Twilight-Claw: Does anyone know if it is possible to combine both a magical berry and a fish in a Lotine breeding? Or is you can only choose one of them? (right now writing a Lotine breeding) Jun 1, 2020 5:36:49 GMT -6

Twilight-Claw: I am still interested in trading it for a green drake. Jun 1, 2020 0:31:33 GMT -6